Lily's Horcrux
by TheGirlWithFarTooManyIdeas
Summary: They thought Lily was a saintly figure of the Light. In truth, she wielded Dark Magic and was more than a little crazy, and she tied her soul to her daughter to protect her. Iris Potter grows up in the worst place possible, learning magic by night until she's strong enough to run away and unleash unholy hell upon the world that expects her to save it. Rated for blood and content!
1. Chapter 1

**Lily's Horcrux**

 _ **Tyene: I swear this place is infested - (blasts aside a huge number of plot bunnies)**_

 _ **Wanda: I...can't deny that. Anyway, this was born from an idea given to me by garaa king of the sand, in that Lily creates a horcrux in her son/daughter. (in this case daughter). Once that sank into my mind, the other pieces just fell into place...**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 **Prologue**

Lily Evans-Potter had always completely personified the legend of the firey redhead. She was passionate, she was strong in spirit, she let absolutely nothing frighten her, and she might have been absolutely crazy (depending on who you asked – Lily always agreed when the question came up). She was brilliant and talented, thanks in part to being willing to learn any sort of magic possible – including the Dark magic, which was usually forbidden. She loved her friends and family and showed her opponents no quarter. She would offer a hand in friendship or possible redemption, but she would only offer it once. Reject it or betray her, and she would obliterate you.

Lily was one of the few students at Hogwarts who took Divination seriously. Thus, she was the first person to come across the Prophecy about the child who would be the equal in power to the Great Lord Voldemort, Dark Lord of their era, and would strike him down.

Oh? That was Trawley's prophecy? Well, contrary to what the Esteemed Albus Dumbledore believed, Lily knew about the prophecy before he 'broke the news' to her through magic of questionable legality, thanks to the help of her best friend Bellatrix Black.

Yes, a Black happily – and willingly – befriended a muggleborn.

Bellatrix became intrigued with Lily Potter after Rabastian, her betrothed's brother, insulted a supposedly easy target only to find himself challenged to a duel. Lily stood for her own honour – something unheard of in pure blood high society – and utterly humiliated the proud man in front of the Great Hall while only in her fourth year.

After that, Bellatrix reached out to her. Lily was guarded, at first; Bellatrix slowly gained her trust through restricted books and practice duels. The two girls realized they had a lot in common, and soon enough Orion and Cyngus Black were frothing at the mouth at the news that Bellatrix, their pride and heir, was openly associating with a muggleborn.

The two girls were fast friends after that, to Severus Snape's incredulity and James Potter's flummoxed, Slytherin-hating rage.

Lily was constantly aggravated by Potter's unwanted advances in their teenage years; as far as she was concerned he was nothing more than a foul bully little better than the Lestranges or their friends. She also wasn't blind to his attempts to separate her from her best friend in his hopes to get her in the sack.

Sure, thanks to political tensions Severus and Lily didn't act as friends out in the open, but Lily kept in contact with him. Severus had always been a troubled child, and Lily was the one who kept him anchored...and he was the one who made sure she didn't go _too_ crazy. Which became a good deal harder when Bellatrix, who had enough crazy to terrify Bugs Bunny, grew so close to Lily that the pair might as well have been siblings.

Regulus, meanwhile, was the group's baby, who always insisted the ladies were insane but went along with it out of loyalty to his cousin. That, and he had a crush on Lily, to the fury of his mother Walburga.

Lily and Bellatrix, while burrowed in the Black family library on a day when the leaders of the family were out, and it was there that they discovered the full disclosure of the Horcruxes.

Tom Riddle had made a mistake, back when he was a student. The text he read regarding the creation of Horcruxes was incomplete. The way to create a full Horcrux was not to split your soul with murder, but to willingly sacrifice and sever your mortal coil in order to take on the form of a living spirit. Both Lily and Bellatrix liked and were curious about the idea, and stole the book away from under the noses of Orion and Cygnus.

Anyway. Back to the Prophecy.

Lily loathed Voldemort and his toadies. She had fought the man on three separate occasions after her seventh year finished, making her one of the few candidates for the parents. The others were Alice and Frank Longbottom, already married...and James Potter.

After some deliberation, Lily decided that a marriage to James to bring about the prophecy child was a worthy cause. She knew that Dumbledore had been pushing for her to date the man ever since their fourth year (he wasn't exactly subtle, with that damnable twinkle in his eye and everything), but she would do it on her own terms.

Besides, with James so busy, she could have love on her own terms...it was easy to run into Regulus when a war was going on. He was born to a 'dark' family after all...

Though at first she would have to be careful, after all only James could give her the prophecy child.

Eventually Lily became pregnant, to her joy. Despite going into this with a relatively pragmatic mindset – someone had to defeat Voldemort – she instantly fell in love with her child, before the birth even happened.

 _ ****~Line Break~****_

Lily knew that the deck was being stacked against her.

Bellatrix fought her family's hatred of her best friend and by extension her engagement ever since her friendship with Lily was discovered, and eventually Cygnus took drastic measures. He placed blood runes on her before presenting her to Voldemort, who used them to turn Bellatrix into his insane female counterpart.

Knowing that something was in store for her, Bellatrix made a blood pact with Lily that made the two adoptive siblings. It allowed Lily to place a charm on her sister's mind that would allow either herself, or her child should worse come to worse, to destroy even the most powerful of magics placed on Bellatrix's mind and return her to her original self.

Regulus was pressed into Voldemort's army by Walburga. He acted as Lily's private spy, and he told her about Voldemort's horcruxes when he discovered it. Eventually he went to the cave where Riddle had taken one of his immortality anchours, and managed to retrieve it before being set upon by an army of Inferni.

Luckily for him, he had a modified time turner on his person. In his panic, he activated it, and vanished from the present time.

Severus was also a Death Eater, being Dumbledore's spy in the army for Lily's sake. While they stayed in touch, the war made it increasingly difficult.

Eventually, Lily gave birth to her daughter, Iris Dahlia Potter. She was a beautiful child, with red hair and vibrant green eyes, born as 'the seventh month dies' as was predicted. Power surged through St Mugos during her birth, pure magic, it had all the Healers talking.

Lily adored her child. She showered her with love and affection, even when they were hiding away under the Fieldus Charm at Dumbledore's insistence. It was worth putting up with James, who was still as immature as his school days, and the knowledge that she was working alongside Dumbledore's plan, at least at the beginning. Between Lily, Sirius (Lily helped him reconnect with Regulus during the war...) and Remus, Iris should never have known a moment of sadness, unfortunately there were more forces at work in her life...

It was thanks to Sev that Lily knew Pettigrew had betrayed her and James. He had seen the spy during a meeting among Voldemort's inner circle, and he had gotten in contact with her via their secret Floo connection. They had to seal Bellatrix's entrance for now that she was crazy; thanks to the Fieldus Lily didn't have the chance to go out and activate the fail safe spell...Dumbledore had never approved of their friendship, he thought Bellatrix was 'too dark'...Regulus's had also been closed since he had gone missing, though he had at least managed to hand the Horcrux to his house elf before vanishing...

Lily knew that now she had to take drastic measures, so while James was at a meeting with Dumbledore she took out the tome she had discovered with Trixie and began to read from it. Her own life for her daughter's safety...it made sense to her.

The protection she could offer her daughter with her own life was stronger than anything else. The sacrifice ward and the horcrux magic were carefully woven together by the most brilliant charms master this century as Lily prepared for the worst...she bound her life force to her beloved child, making her most precious treasure her anchor in the living world.

Voldemort did come to her doorstep eventually. James was killed in a quick fight on the floor while Lily waited, steeling her nerve...Voldemort couldn't comprehend how she was willing to give up her own life for her child, so he didn't see the trap she had laid for him.

So that night, Lily 'died', Voldemort's hold was broken, and Iris Potter became the 'Girl Who Lived'. Dumbledore, after sealing Lily's personal Will in Gringotts, sent Hagrid to deliver the young girl to the family explicitly forbidden from housing her child because of a family estrangement.

The Dursleys.

 _ ****~Privet Drive, 2004~****_

" _Oh my baby, what have they_ done _to you?_ "

Three year old Iris Potter was lying unconscious in the cupboard under the stairwell in the prison called Number 4, Privet Drive. She had been slammed against the wall by her uncle, who was angry about being passed up for a promotion, injuring her severely but not killing her thanks to her magic.

Now deep in dreams, Iris felt someone embrace her. Blinking lethargically, she saw a beautiful ghostly figure. She was an older woman, glowing white except for her red hair and gleaming green eyes which were dripping tears. " _Who are you_?" Iris wondered, feeling a rush of love directed at her.

" _Sweetie, I'm your mother."_ The ghost said softly.

" _...Mommy?_ " Iris asked, a single tear dripping down her cheek. " _Auntie said you died. Auntie said you left me."_

The ghost trembled with rage, but maintained her calm in front of her daughter. " _No, my jewel, I never abandoned you. I died because I was fighting a bad man. I used some magic so I could stay with you no matter what happened."_

" _Oh...I'm so happy..."_ Iris murmured. " _Dud says no one loves me..._ "

" _That's a foul lie, little flower. I love you. I always have, and I always will."_ Lily's ghost promised, brushing her fingers against Iris's eyes. " _My magic is surrounding you. Always._ "

" _But...auntie and uncle...they say magic isn't real."_

" _Auntie and uncle are very bad people. They've hurt you, and lied to you."_ The ghost responded gently but firmly. " _Magic is very real. You can use it to protect yourself. Do you hurt any? Where do you hurt, little flower?_ "

" _My head..."_

" _Okay..."_ Iris squeaked when she felt herself enveloped in warmth, like she'd been given Dudley's fluffy winter blanket. " _Think very hard on it, my love. Think hard about where you feel the pain and how you want it to go away._ "

Iris didn't understand at first, but she did what her mother said. She let out a small cry of surprise when the horrible pain suddenly lessened until it disappeared entirely. _"wow!"_ she gasped. " _Is that magic, mommy? I can do magic!_ "

" _Of course you can, little flower. You are a witch, and some day you will be one of the most powerful people who ever lived."_

" _You really think so, mommy?_ "

" _I really do, my love._ " Ghost Lily cooed gently. " _Now get some rest...rest and recover. Know that you are loved, cherished, and protected._ "

Iris nodded slowly, and fell into a more comfortable sleep with a small smile on her face.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **I like the idea that Lily was a borderline crazy genius. Rated for some later content (and I mean it this time - Cult Potter's early dark content has been moved over to here by brain bunnies). I love this version of Lily, and little Iris Potter.**_

 ** _Edit as of 10/07/2016: Yes, the timeline has been altered slightly so Lily's 'death' happened at year 2000, and Iris's school years would/will be 2010-2017. I'm just more comfortable in that time zone, plus it helps the theme parallel in the next chapters._**

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Lily's Horcrux**_

 _ **Wanda: This story is starting to kick off...I think that both this and Cult Potter have been some of my favorite stories to write so far on several levels. mostly I think it's been in the main characters. Edith is delightfully levelled and complex, while Iris...well, she hasn't gotten too much characterization yet, but she's about six, and she'll be coming into her own soon enough. I have several plans involving that, and I hope you all enjoy them as much as I am thinking about them!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 _ **Chapter 2**_

" _A COAT HANGER?!"_ Lily's angry ghost flew through Marge Durlsey, causing the woman to shudder uncontrollably. " _A COAT HANGER? YOU VICIOUS, SOULLESS_ _ **HAG**_!"

Iris fought the urge to giggle, staring down at the hanger in her hands. Her mother had taught her to do all sorts of beautiful magic, many of which she could use to protect herself from Vernon, Petunia, Dudley and his friends. Sure, they were still enraged by 'freakishness', but she could hide better and sometimes disappear entirely, to reappear in better places.

It was how she got away from Dudley and his gang whenever they 'hunted' her. She ended up on top of buildings, across football fields, and inside locked cars.

Her favourite ability, however, was her mother's ability to use magic wordlessly.

She used it to rearrange the cutlery, shift chairs and desks _just_ out of place, and shut windows that were previously open. Petunia, who was obsessed with her house being clean and very orderly, would go crazy with paranoia and fury. It could be dangerous sometimes, but the amusement involved was always worth it.

Usually, her mother only taught her when she was asleep. Iris would struggle by day and learn by night...she had used to fear that cupboard, but now she almost welcomed it, because it meant she could see her mother again. However, there were a few times when her mother could act during the daytime. She didn't do it often, because it made Iris extremely tired the longer she was out, but she sprang to her child's defence as often as possible.

Her mother's presence was the only way she was getting through Aunt Marge's visit. Marge was probably the only person who hated her as much, if not more, than her aunt and uncle. It wasn't just in getting hit when she was around (which she was used to dealing with at this point). No, Iris also had to be afraid of Ripper, Marge's foul tempered bulldog. She had accidentally trod on the dog's tail _once_ , thanks to sleepiness, and it had tried to bite her hand off.

Yes, this was a very difficult family to live with.

Iris got up and headed into the kitchen to start dinner at Petunia's shrieked command. Moving the pots around, she closed her eyes and started to speak with her mother again.

" _That miserable wretch...!"_ Lily fumed in reference to Marge. _"If I had my body, I would put the fear of God into her. How could one person be such an utterly hateful, spiteful waste of existence!?"_

" _Do we have any other family, mom?_ " Iris asked.

Lily sighed. " _I'm sorry, sweetheart. My parents died in a plane crash a year before I gave birth to you. My mother's sister moved to America and we lost contact except for occasional letters. Your father was an only child, and his parents died during the war."_

" _So I'm alone?"_

" _No, little flower._ " Iris smiled. That was the nickname her mother used for her. It was special. " _You have a godfather, a godmother, and family friends. We're separated now, but once you leave this miserable place, they'll be there to take care of you."_

" _Tell me about them, please."_

" _Alright. Well, first there's your godfather, Sirius."_ Lily chuckled. _"He was a friend of your father's. I admit, it took me a while to warm up to him. He was a bit of a hellraiser in his youth. But once he matured a bit, we became friends. He's wild, he loves to make jokes and mess with people. You'll never be bored with him around."_

" _Why isn't he here now?"_

Lily let out a small sigh, wondering how to explain. " _Sirius...he has a habit of getting himself in trouble. That's what he's done now, little flower. I'm thinking of ways to help him, but I need more time and more strength..."_

Iris understood that a bit. She knew that her mother's strength depended on her, since her body was what was anchoring Lily to the living world. Lily could possess her daughter, but she didn't like doing that, and she only did so with the little girl's permission. Iris didn't mind. The fact that Lily worried about hurting her made the child love her even more...

" _Then there's your honorary uncle, Regulus. He's Sirius's brother, and he's adorable."_

Iris giggled. " _Adorable how?_ "

" _He's very book smart, and people smart for that matter. He can read you like an open book, but he's terrified of offending whoever he's talking to, so often he'll make a statement, and then frantically backpedal. He's the sensible one compared to Sirius, much more cautious...he used to complain all the time that Bells and I were going to give him grey hairs whenever we took risks."_

" _He sounds nice. I could read with him._ " Iris remembered something she liked doing – jumping off the swings when she was high in the air. " _Though I don't know if he'd like what I find fun._ "

Lily's laughter was like the chiming of bells. " _Don't worry, little flower. He's used to that by now._ "

The water on the stove boiled. Iris had been chopping up the vegetables for the sauce; she set the knife down and walked over to the packaged spaghetti. Cutting the package open, she pulled out half the container and broke it in half before poking it into the pot, her toes precariously tipping the stool she used to reach the top of the stove.

Had anyone been looking inside the Dursleys windows, they would have wondered why a five year old was preparing the meal while the adults drank whisky in the front room. Of course, the only person who knew to look closely at the house was Arabella Figg, and she didn't report this because her boss had said that the Girl Who Lived should experience some hardships before she returned to school.

Iris had just turned on the second burner and poured olive oil into the pan when she felt she was being watched. Vernon Dursley was standing in the doorway, not saying anything, just looking at her with narrow, alcohol-lidded eyes.

He did this some times, and sometimes it was more unnerving then when he yelled and thrashed his belt at her. Iris met his eyes for a long minute before he growled out, "don't burn it, freak," before leaving the room again.

" _Bastard,"_ Lily hissed. The way Vernon stared at her daughter set off all her motherly instincts; if she had her own body she would take her daughter and leave this place immediately. But Iris was still young and relatively weak, Lily wasn't sure how far she'd be able to go.

" _Tell me about my godmama. Please?_ " Iris asked her mother, dropping the first vegetables in.

Sufficiently distracted at the memory of her dear adoptive sister, Lily smiled. " _Bellatrix Black, Bells to you and me, was a brilliant and talented warrior. I think she was the most powerful witch of my generation, at least at our school. She has this incredibly dark sense of humour, it's brilliant. She was not afraid of anything; she stood against her parents to remain friends with me and helped her sister escape an arranged marriage to be with the man she loved."_

" _'Was'? What happened to her?"_ Iris didn't think she'd like the answer.

Lily took a deep breath. " _Bells's parents weren't good people, little flower. They were obsessed with the idea of their family's supposed nobility. They used magic to put a curse on Bellatrix's mind, forcing her to become a monster."_

Iris hissed lowly. She dug her nails into the palms of her hands. " _Can anyone help her?"_

" _We can, Iris. It's difficult to explain, but I have a way to break that spell."_ Lily told her. " _I knew her parents were planning something, and so did she, so we planned a fail safe."_

" _You're really smart, mommy._ " Iris said.

Lily chuckled. " _Why thank you, little flower."_

Iris poured the jar of sauce into the pan and began stirring it around. A large crash in the living room, followed by Marge slurring out some rant about 'welfare queens'. Iris rolled her eyes; Marge's tendency to get massively drunk was so omnipresent that it showed up in every single time the woman had arrived to visit. Vernon usually only get drunk when he was alone, as Petunia usually demanded. _After all, she didn't want anything bad happening to Dudley._ Even if she almost always left Iris behind at the house whenever she and Dudley went to the park. That tended to be when the worst beatings happened, but Petunia had been involved in the worst before.

Iris turned the heat down enough to let the sauce simmer before walking into the room. "Dinner is ready, everyone," She chirped, trying to look friendly and cheerful.

Vernon naturally gave her a dirty look. He hated it when the little freak smiled.

Petunia shoved a plate of small fruit into Iris's hands as the family walked into the dining room. When Iris moved to follow them, her stomach growling at the smell of the food, Marge violently slammed the door in her face, knocking her over.

Sighing, Iris sat up, rubbing her aching nose. She picked up the apple and walked over to the wall next to the cupboard. She stared at the tiny, dark enclosure and shuddered violently. Instead of going inside, she slid down against the wall and began to eat the apple.

All the lights in the house exploded. Iris looked up, before shaking her head with a small smirk as her 'family' freaked out in the other room.

Thunder crashed in the distance.

" _I don't want to stay here, mom."_

" _You won't, Iris. I promise, one day soon you'll leave, and I'll tell you where to go. If we can rescue Bells, you'll never be unsafe again."_ Lily promised; Iris could feel the rage towards those whales boiling inside her chest. Lightly she placed a hand on her collar, smiling slightly.

" _Thank you, mom._ "

 _ ****~Some Time Later~****_

Iris usually bathed in the middle of the night. The Dursleys never liked wasting hot water on her, and it wasn't until she learned how to use silencing charms that she was allowed to have a bath more than twice a month. She loved being in water, either warm or cold. Water almost seemed to have a spiritual quality to it. Running her fingers through her long red hair, Iris finished washing out the soap and pulled the plug in the tub. As the water drained out, she stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself in a towl, humming to herself. She was beautiful, though scarred on her back and arms thanks to the constant mistreatment she had suffered, and very skinny from the lack of good food.

Iris slipped into her nightgown, which fell down only to her knees. She spent a minute blow drying her hair before putting it down and stepping out of the bathroom...

...And walking directly into Vernon Dursley.

Iris stumbled backwards, eyes wide with alarm. She braced herself mentally, waiting for a blow...except it didn't come immediately. Slowly she raised her eyes up to his face.

Vernon was looking at her. Staring.

She didn't understand it – still quite innocent in some ways – but she realized with a surge of cold fear she was in very great danger.

All of a sudden, the older man grabbed her and started dragging her down the hall. Iris frantically kicked and struggled, her mother's horcurx burning inside her chest. As they reached the stairs, close to the guest bedroom, Iris lashed out with a massive, violent blast of accidental magic.

Vernon was sent sailing over the side and crashed down the stairs, hitting the bottom with a sickening _thud._ Iris froze up, kneeling at the top of the stairs. Slowly she walked down to the third stair, looking down at the body.

Vernon's skull had been split open, blood pooling on the floor.

The horcrux blazed harshly again. " _Iris, baby listen to me."_ Lily's voice was taught and empty of emotion except for worry. " _Get dressed in street clothes and pack a small bag. Then you need to run out of this house and never look back."_

Iris nodded slowly, before stepping around Vernon's body and running to the cupboard. Quickly she dressed into her least damaged clothes, rainproof boots, and the one piece of new clothes that she had – a sweater with a hood. She packed two sets of clothes before running to the living room. She snatched out all the spare change and money there, before rushing to the door and bursting out of the cursed house she had called home since she was one.

Alarms went off in the office of Albus Dumbledore. But by the time he reacted to them, Iris Potter had vanished into the dark night.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Yeah. Vernon was staring at her to decide whether or not to kill her...I felt really uncomfortable writing that part, and I'm glad he's dead now. I'm always happy to kill a Dursley. Anyway, now Iris is on the run, and while Lily has some directions and a plan in mind, Iris's own plotting and chaotic nature will begin to surface now that she has no one to fear.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Lily's Horcrux**

 _ **Wanda: Shorter chapter than last time, again, sorry about that, but I just wanted to reintroduce Bellatrix. Oh, she is a ball to write. I'll be a very happy camper when I reintroduce her in Cult Potter, too, albeit in a different sort of role. And, having her influence a young Iris, even at a somewhat less-insane capacity, is going to have some LOVELY effects. (cackles manically)**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 **Chapter 3: Bells**

 _ ****~Three Months after Vernon Dursley's Death~****_

A slender, graceful hawk darted across the midnight sky over the sea, cool winds buffeting her red and black feathers. The waves rushed against the cold island she was approaching, cutting against the black cold stone that made up the groundwork of Azkaban Island. The hawk fluttered to a stop on a high ledge, tired from her long flight. After several minutes, she took to the air again, flying around the circumference of the triangular building up towards the top. Once she was at the highest row, she fluttered to a barred window and cawed.

Bellatrix Lestrange/Black was leaning against the wall of her cell, having temporarily lost her voice from screaming. The high profile prisoner was a mess, both from the life drain of the Dementors and the grime of the cell itself. She was skinny as a rail – the food in here was truly awful – and her long hair was incredibly matted. Her blue eyes were dulled, a small crimson glow in their centres – one that flickered in and out.

The bird cawed again. Bellatrix raised her head to see the bird squeeze through the bars and fluttered down to her side. It raised one leg, revealing a bag tied to her. Confusion suppressed Bella's initial desire to kill the small creature just to gain a desperately needed rush. The bird held it up towards her.

Blinking, Bella stretched out her stiff fingers and took the bag, unravelling it very slowly. Two rings dropped into her hands. One was silver, the other gold, both with glittering ruby jewels.

Bellatrix gasped and hit her head against the wall, clutching the two rings in her hand. Red and green runes appeared on her body, startling the bird who scrambled backwards. The older woman let out a terrible wail before lime green light exploded out of her with the force of a bomb. Bella then crumbled against the ground, gasping and shivering.

Before the bird's surprised eyes, Bella seemed to age several years backwards, going from prematurely aging to a beautiful young woman once again. The eldest Black shook her head slowly before looking down at the two rings. It was from the blood oath she had sworn before her internment. "Lily." She sobbed once, pressing them against her chest. "Oh Lily..."

The hawk chirped again, drawing Bellatrix's attention. The Black squinted at the creature, noticing it had unusually green eyes. Familiar ones.

"Lily?" The bird shook her head. "Oh... _Iris_?" The bird nodded. "You...how are you here? Like this?"

The bird shook her head, before flying up to the iron bars. She chirped and nodded at the window.

Bellatrix blinked in understanding. "Of course. I can't stand this hellish place." She shivered, slowly transforming into her animagus form – a large raven. She joined Iris at the window. The young girl took off first, with Bella right behind her. The two flew past the island's boundaries, going straight past the hovering Dementors without being followed. Once across the ocean, the pair rested in a tree for several hours before flying further into the British countryside. Eventually they came to a stop at an old mansion that looked like it had just recently been repaired.

The two birds landed in the front yard, next to the stone water fountain. The hawk transformed back into a very tired and dishevelled Iris Potter, who slumped against the stone with a small whine. Bellatrix quickly transformed back and took the small redhead into her arms.

"My god, look at you," She cooed, smiling truly for the first time in nearly eight years. "You're so adorable. You have Lily's eyes...you're her spitting image."

Iris smiled weakly. "Mommy said that you would take care of me...if you were your real self." She rasped. "Mommy is inside my head now. She helped me become the bird."

"Inside your head...?" It took Bellatrix a minute to cotton on, but when she did, she laughed out loud. "Oh Lils, I knew you were crazy! You actually pulled it off!" Lightly she ruffled the small girl's hair. "You're quite strong, to be able to hold your transformation while inside Azkaban."

"I wanted to get my dogfather too," Iris said sleepily, her head rolling against the older woman's shoulder. "But...couldn't get you both out..."

"It's okay, darling." Bellatrix said with unusual gentleness. "I can help my cousin now that I'm outside myself. You, meanwhile, need rest. Is this your home?" She stood up with the girl who lived in her arms, looking up at the castle-like mansion with a critical eye. It didn't _look_ like it had been used recently...

"Mommy helped me buy it secretly." Iris explained. "Had to run away...from aunt Petunia..."

Bellatrix hissed, stalling at the doorstep at that hated name. "He sent you _there_?" She had met and hated Petunia when Lily invited her to the Evans family reunion, a few weeks before her father had put those hated Blood Runes. She had instantly hated that shrewish, loathsome spite of existence. It was insane to think that she and Lily were related.

Iris nodded slowly, her eyes fluttering. "Never mind me. Go to sleep, little one." Bellatrix said, quickly masking her temper under a smile. The small redhead giggled and closed her eyes, quickly slipping away into deep sleep.

Bellatrix entered the mansion and wandered through the second floor hallway until she found a room with a flower quilt cover on a bed, with toys strewn across the floor - this must be the little girl's room. Gently placing Iris on the bed and pulling the cover over her, Bellatrix then went straight back to the front yard and vented her homicidal urges.

 _I'm going to RUIN you, Albus Dumbledore! Tom Riddle! I'll destroy you both for hurting my sister and my goddaughter!_

Once she had scorched a twelve foot circle in the driveway, Bellatrix took a cleansing breath. _Take it easy, Bells...your next step should be getting in contact with Sev. He can help prove Sirius's innocence, and yours._

 _And with his help, we can plot getting Lily another body._

 _ ****~At Splinter's End~****_

Severus Snape was distracted from his headache, and the marking of some dunderhead's terrible potion's essay, by a distinctive pounding on his front door. His first thought, of course, was _how the hell did Bellatrix get out of Azkaban?!_

His second thought was, _I'm in_ deep _trouble._ Of course, Bellatrix Lestrange rarely bothered knocking on doors when she intended to kill someone. But who's to say she wasn't trying to surprise him? Azkaban did strange things to its inhabitants, not helped by the constant, oppressive Dementor aura.

"Sevvy...! You can open up! I'm not going to kill you!" the voice sing-songed, causing the potions master to pause. Her voice had taken on a candor that hadn't been maintained after she was inducted into Voldemort's forces.

"Why should I believe that?" Severus asked cautiously.

"Because if I was still called Lestrange, I'd have broken your damn door down already! Your wards _really_ need replacing, Sevvy!" Bellatrix responded irritably. "Now are you going to let me in or not?"

"How were the runes broken?" Severus wondered aloud as he approached the doorway.

"Three words, genius. Lily. Bloody. Evans. Really, who else could it have been?" Bellatrix snarked when he opened the door. Severus examined the Black woman's eyes; they were clear of the sadistic glow she had inherited from Voldemort that fateful evening. He was taken back to his happier school days, where Lily and 'Trixie' were eagerly discussing magic theory, Regulus struggling to keep up while he sat aside, amused by their banter as he read from his text book. "I thought your crush on her meant you thought she could move the stars."

"She was a dear and irreplaceable friend," Severus responded automatically. "It's easy to love someone who was the first one to treat me like a human being rather than a pile of garbage. I still do love her... just not the same way I used too."

Bellatrix smiled, before reaching over and slapping Severus on the shoulder. "It's so good to see you again, Sevvy."

"It's good to see you sane." Severus said. "Perhaps you could explain to me over some ale?"

Bellatrix's eyes lit up. "That sounds _wonderful_. I haven't had a decent drink in eight fuckin years!"

It was probably a good thing Severus had elected to drink water, having an ingrained dislike of alcoholic drink thanks to his father Tobias. Bellatrix's short explanation had left him slightly giddy, and it was better to choke on water than wine. Lily had succeeded in creating a pure horcrux! She was still with them! Her daughter was safe, having gotten away from his friend's hateful sister.

"How is Iris? Dumbledore kept saying no one should visit her until she turned eleven and was introduced to our world properly." Snape asked.

Bellatrix's eyes narrowed. "She's sleeping at the moment, but since she was living with Petunia, I wouldn't rule out being concerned just yet." Shaking her head and tucking her stray hair behind her ear, Bellatrix added, "She's a tough one, though. She's already an animagus."

"What!" Severus exclaimed, stunned. "At seven?"

"Lily must have helped," Bellatrix said by way of explanation. "Iris can turn into a hawk. She flew across to Azkaban Island and broke me out. At seven!" The Black heiress burst into a fit of laughter. "The Ministry's 'unbreakable' prison was broken into by a seven year old. She's going to be incredible when she comes of age."

"She is a prophecy child." Severus agreed, still slightly blown away.

"Well, Iris is getting a new deserved rest." Bellatrix said with a slight smirk. "Of course, I'm not the only one who's suffering in Azkaban." She frowned slightly. "You know Sirius is innocent, right?"

"I am the one who warned you about Pettigrew," Snape responded. At Bellatrix's pointed look, he sighed and explained, "I didn't have enough concrete proof, and people were in a frenzy for the blood of Voldemort's servants. And I don't have the resources for a prison break."

Bellatrix gave him a perfect, insane grin. Snape felt his stomach sink. "Well, now you do. Do you think you can stomach Sirius long enough to get him out?"

"I'll take my chances; for Iris." Snape said with a sigh. While Regulus had acted as a bridge between him and his former bully, he still wasn't friends with Sirius. And he wasn't one to let an innocent person suffer in the presence of Dementors, even if he didn't like that person.

"Good!" Bellatrix cackled. _I'm going to regret this,_ Severus thought remorsefully. He had lived for a while without the insanity of his girls, and it was going to hurt to readjust.

At least the Weasley Twins had kept him on his toes.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **So yeah, Lily taught Iris how to be an animagus, because it helped her get around secretly. It's not safe for an eight year old to be wandering around the streets unsupervised, magical or no, which Lily is very aware of. Plus Hawks are fucking awesome. And it's fun for Bellatrix to be an animagus too; I figure someone that magically talented would probably share that.**_

 ** _Also, let me know - should Lily be an animagus when she comes back? (she will be back, that's what horcruxes are for after all!) If so, what sort of animal would suit our brilliant, insane redhead?_**

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Lily's Horcrux**

 _ **Wanda: Lining up the players! Iris is starting to come into her own character here, which I'm pretty happy about. At first she was a bit similar to Edith, but now she's running off on her own, radically different track. Oh, and if anyone else has watched V for Vendetta, you're officially very, very cool in my book!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 **Chapter 4: I'm Very Sirius**

"Hey. Hey, Siri. Hey. _Wake up!_ "

Sirius Orion Black groaned and rolled over, his back aching from lying on the cold stone floor of his cell. His whole body hurt, though not quite as much as his head. As one of the high profile prisoners, he had Dementors outside his door day and night. This might have been considered torture by their muggle counterparts, but the Ministry just considered it 'prisoner control'. Either way, at first he ignored the vaguely familiar female voice drifting from close by, figuring that he must have been hallucinating. After six years in this place, it was starting to happen, though not often. Thinking about his innocence, about his goddaughter Iris and how she needed him, usually kept the images at bay. It was the only thing that kept him focused...except maybe tormenting his cellmates. Barty Crouch Jr especially had been fun to mess with; it was a pity he had expired so quickly...

"Hey Siri! Aren't you listening to me?!"

Sirius grunted and rolled over. "Let me sleep, illusion," He muttered, pressing one hand against his exposed ear.

The female voice paused, and then let out a mischievous cackle. "All right, you asked for it..."

Sirius had about a second to think, _that sounds like Trixie,_ before a blast of cold water struck him in the face, sending him scrambling backwards, cursing and frantically wiping at his eyes. His muddled vision eventually focused on a smirking Bellatrix Lestrange, who was kneeling in front of him. He noted that she wasn't dressed in Azkaban robes – she was wearing a black leather jacket, cargo pants, biker gloves and sneakers, the kind of clothes that would have given her father and uncle an heart attack, with a pair of sunglasses perched on top of her wild black hair to complete the look. The second thing he noted was that, in this...illusion?, Trixie's eyes were clear of the crimson haze that had been given to her by Voldemort. Oh, she still had that crazy glint, but in all honestly – that was just Trixie.

Bellatrix grinned at him. "I warned you," she snickered. "Up and attem, Siri, we've got places to be."

"Bellatrix...what? How are you in my cell?"

His cousin made a production of rolling her eyes, "stars above Siri, do you not recognize a breakout when you see one? You really should have spent more time with Regulus. I was broken out just two days ago, and now I'm here for you!"

Sirius must have stared dumbfounded at her, because Bellatrix let out another sharp cackle, rolling back against the wall, before shapeshifting into a large raven. The bird screeched at him, before tilting its head towards the cell door.

"I've got to be hallucinating..."

Trixie let out an irritated caw, darted forward and violently pecked his hand three times. "Ouch! Ow, damn-it!" Sirius yelped, swatting at her. The lithe raven hopped backwards, cawed again, and shot him another meaningful stare.

"Fine, _fine_. Christ, you've got to be Trixie again, only she could piss me off so easily..." Shaking his head, Sirius quickly transformed into Padfoot and walked up to the cage door. Trixie squeezed through the bars and pulled at the bolt with her beak until it came loose. Sirius pushed the door open with his paw, and together the two animagi began to make their way down the hall. The Dementors filling the hall let them pass without incident; they merely tilted their heads in the direction of the animals, not able to read the less complex feelings of creatures.

The screaming of the other prisoners was in the background as the raven and dog made their way down the stairs. Sirius, content to follow his cousin's lead, just started thinking, _Well, if I am hallucinating, it couldn't hurt to imagine escaping. And I don't think I ever got this far in my dreams...usually I just dream that I'm already outside and far away from this place._

 _I guess it has to be a dream...I mean, the only person who could have done something about Trixie's blood runes was Lily or Iris...Iris is about seven now, and Lily's..._ the dog flinched and shook his head. _No, don't think about Lily and James being gone._

 _I wish I knew where Iris was. Is she alright? At least being treated civilly? With Reggie, Trixie, me and Alice gone, who would she be...? Lily made a note in her will that she wasn't to go to her muggle sister...she must be in an orphanage...damn it, that's all my fault...shouldn't have gone after Peter, should have waited, should have taken Iris and run..._

Bellatrix let out a sharp caw that brought Sirius out of his thoughts. They were on the second floor, and the raven animagus had come to a stop at a lower window. She stuck her head out of the window and cawed again, before pulling back. Sirius let out a small whine of surprise when a blast struck the bars, disintegrating them. Trixie then cawed at him, tapping her beak against the window sill, before jumping and fluttering out close to the opening.

Sirius shook his head. _This is oddly precise, for a hallucination...usually when I see things, it's broken up by something else by now. Ah well. Might as well go along with it._ Bunching up his legs, he jumped up onto the ledge. He let out a small bark of surprise.

Severus Snape, of all conceivable people, was standing on the ground, tapping his foot impatiently. Sirius stared at him for a second, he wondered for the first time if this wasn't, in fact, a hallucination. He never would have imagined Snape coming to aide him, even if their relationship had improved somewhat when the first "war" (though it may be more accurate to describe it as a series of terror attacks) hit its stride.

Bellatrix transformed back and landed next to Snape. "Come _on,_ Siri!" She said impatiently. "Do you want to leave this island, or not?"

Sirius _wuffed_ before transforming back himself, sliding down the side of the building until he landed on the ground and collapsed. His muscles were aching from lack of use, making it hurt to stand up. Trixie snickered before grabbing his arm and pulling him over. Snape pulled out a chain and pushed one side into Sirius's hand, right before activating it. The portkey dragged them away just as the Dementors were swarming towards them.

 _ **~Elsewhere~**_

Sirius hit the ground roughly, groaning and staring up at the sky. At Azkaban, the sky was always pitch black and empty of stars, no matter what the weather was. However, here the sky was full of brilliantly gleaming jewels. A huge weight that had been sitting on his chest ever since he was roughly tossed into that cell had been abruptly removed. His hands trembling, he looked over at Bellatrix, who was stretching and grinning. "Is this real?" He asked tentatively.

"Yup," Trixe chirped. "I'll fill you in on everything tomorrow; if you're like me then your brain is really scrambled right now, and I don't care for having to explain things more than once."

"Is this the place Lily bought?" Severus's voice drifted from somewhere nearby. "It's a bit ostentatious, isn't it? Though I suppose it's more for Iris than her."

Sirius perked up at his goddaughter's name. Scrambling to his feet, he wheezed, "Iris! Is she okay? Is she here?"

Trixie grinned, which made him really nervous. "Yeah, she's totally fine. Listen to that! She's watching TV. Let's get inside, shall we?"

Sirius nodded, leaning slightly on his cousin as the three of them opened the door and walked inside. Sure enough, Sirius heard both music and dialogue drifting from the main living room. "...disguising..." a male voice hissed, before a loud _crack_ followed it. Sirius winced, but Bellatrix didn't seem to mind. She strolled up to the double doors and pushed them open.

"Iris, little flower! We're home!"

"Hey," The small female voice echoed. "Could you keep it down? I'm at the best part!"

Unsure of what she meant, Sirius walked forward until he was standing next to his chuckling cousin. The living room was large enough to fit two of the Dursley equivalents in them, fifteen metres across and ten metres long. Hanging on the wall was a massive TV screen – almost the same size as the ones you saw in the theatres. A few feet in front of it was a massive, comfy looking couch, and perched on it was little Iris Potter, leaning forward and sitting on the very edge of the cushions.

Sirius caught his breath, Iris looked mostly like her mother with a few of her father's attributes. Her long hair was a very dark red, with a glittering butterfly clip on the back of her head. She was dressed in a black shirt with a strange, glowing red sword emblazoned on it. Her back was to him, completely absorbed in what she was watching.

On screen, a head honcho who reminded Sirius of Evan Parkinson (and, in a way, a human looking version of Voldemort), along with several faceless goons, were pointing muggle guns at a man dressed in black wearing a familiar mask.

" _You've got nothing. Nothing but your bloody knives and fancy karate gimmicks. We have guns."_ The Evan lookalike sneered.

The masked man was unperturbed. " _No, what you have are bullets, and hope that when your guns are empty I am no longer standing, because if I am, you'll all be dead before you've reloaded._ "

"Yes...!" Iris gasped, rocking on the edge of the couch. "Get 'em, V! Get every last one of them!"

The group of men opened fire on the man. Sirius cringed as he watched the cloaked man be riddled with bullets, thinking there was no way he could survive that, while also wondering how the hell his seven year old goddaughter was stomaching watching this event.

Finally they ran out of bullets...and V was still standing. "Yes!" Iris cheered vindictively, grinning with a maniac edge that made Bellatrix beam with pride. "Now _fuck 'em up_!"

V immediately produced two daggers and threw them into the faces of two of the mooks, spraying blood across the screen as the impact threw them backwards. Sirius gagged. "Why would you let her watch this?" He asked.

Snape shrugged. "This is her favourite movie. And Lily gave it the clear. I don't see how we can override her mother."

Sirius looked at him in confusion. "Lily...? But Lily's..."

" _Die!_ " Two more bullets drew the adult's attention back to the screen. V had slaughtered all the mooks, and was now calmly walking towards the shaking Creedy, who was unloading his hand gun into the black spectre. V flinched with every gunshot, but kept moving forward, holding a knife in one hand. " _Die, die, die! Why won't you die?!_ "

V lunged forward, driving the knife into Creedy. The man's eyes widened. " _Beneath this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an_ idea _, Mr Creedy, and_ ideas. Are. Bulletproof. _"_ He tore the knife off and finished the man off.

Iris cheered raucously. Bellatrix clapped a bit, an appreciative look on her face, before clearing her throat and saying, " _Iris._ Don't you want to meet your godfather?"

The little girl let out a small yelp, quickly grabbing the remote and pausing her most beloved film. Jumping to her feet, she spun around and vanished with a crack, reappearing in front of a gaping Sirius and Snape with a bright smile on her face.

"Padfoot!" Iris cheered. Her brilliant emerald green eyes fixed on Sirius, again leaving him breathless. Aside from her shirt, she was wearing black pants with white crystals studding it in the shape of a butterfly. Her sneakers were black with red lace. She lunged forward and pulled Sirius into a tight hug, causing him to gasp and awkwardly pat her shoulders.

"Hey Iris. It's...it's good to see you."

"Good to see you too." Iris looked up at him with a smile that faltered for a second. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you out of that bad place at the same time I got Auntie Trixie out."

"Bad place...?" Sirius goggled and glanced over at Bellatrix. His cousin just grinned and nodded. "It's okay, Iris. I-I'm out now, and that's what's important... lord, you've gotten much bigger than when I last saw you...you were barely a year old then."

Iris wrinkled her nose. "Did I cry a lot?"

"EH...sort of." Sirius chuckled at the girl's resulting pout. _Good thing this place as a big yard; I'll have plenty of space to bury would be suitors._ "Sorry, I'm a bit tired right now little flower. I hope you don't mind if I get some rest."

"Nope, I don't mind Padfoot." Iris then turned her attention to Bellatrix. "Auntie Trixie, can I have a Guy Fawkes mask? I wanna be like V."

Trixie chuckled, a low amused sound that made Severus shoot her a look of pure terror. A calm Bellatrix was even scarier than a gleefully insane one – especially the implications of what it meant. "Sure thing, little flower. Wouldn't that make you 'I'?"

Iris made a bit of a face. "That doesn't sound as cool as V." She said. "I wanna be an anarchist like him and Evey."

She paused, and tilted her head to the right as if listening to something. Her eyes became extremely distant. Before Sirius could ask anyone what it meant, Iris smiled and said, "Mommy says that a little anarchy is exactly what this hellhole needs. Oh, and she says it's good to see you Padfoot."

Sirius gaped at her. "You...you can hear your mommy?" He asked nervously. Was Iris insane? Had she suffered so much that she ended up hearing a voice she attributed to her mother?

"Mommy is inside my head," Iris explained patiently. Did all grown ups have to have these things explained to them? "She used magic to stay with me and protect me after Moulded Shorts-"

"Voldemort," Severus corrected her while Bellatrix broke into hyena like laughter.

"-Voldemort," Iris amended without breaking her stride "came to kill us. So now she's living inside me. Mommy helped me run away from the Dursleys and she's been teaching me to use magic for a long time! That's how I can become a hawk."

Reaching out, Iris grabbed Sirius's arm and started pulling him towards the stairwell. "There are a bunch of bedrooms in this place. It's a little bare, but we can always buy stuff for the windows later, right? We've got all we need right? Ah, it doesn't matter. We could just steal the stuff we can't afford."

Ignoring Sirius's startled look at that, Iris smiled innocently at him. "What? If the system's horribly rigged, why adhere to it?"

"I...need to think on that for a little."

Iris giggled and lead Sirius over to a room with a king sized bed with fresh sheets having been put on just a few hours ago. "Here you go, Padfoot. Sleep well, okay? I'm gonna go watch the rest of my movie!" With that, she scampered back downstairs.

Sirius watched her leave, then looked at the beautifully soft bed, and quickly crashed into it and fell asleep in record time. _It's like lying on the marshmellow._

 _ **~The Next Day~**_

Sirius smelled something nice when he woke up the next morning. _I see sunlight. There's no pain in my heart. My bed is soft. This isn't Azkaban._ He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes and looking around. _It's...it really happened. I was broken out of Azkaban. I've gotten out of that hell!_ Laughing, he swung his legs over the side and got up. A fresh set of muggle clothes was sitting on a nearby chair, waiting for him. Taped over it was a paper sign saying, " _there's a bathroom at the end of the hall. You smell bad_."

Sirius chuckled self consciously. "They didn't have showers in Azkaban." He muttered, half to himself, before grabbing the clothes and heading down the hallway to the marble bathroom.

Once he was done, he headed downstairs and wandered for a minute before following the smell to the kitchen. Already waiting there were Bellatrix, who was happily munching on a fresh chocolate chip muffin, and Iris, who was flitting back and forth by the kitchen counter were a tray of muffins was waiting.

"Good morning cousin!" Trixie said cheerfully.

Iris turned around and smiled brightly. "I bet you're wondering what warrants such a morning? Well, that welcome is warranted by a girl who whipped up a batch of muffins!" She sang, picking one up off the tray and handing it to her godfather.

"She's been practising her alliteration ever since she first watched V for Vendetta." Bellatrix explained with a coy grin. "She's also enthusiastic about learning fencing. I'm still looking for a teacher for her." At Sirius's raised eyebrow, she snorted. "What? I think I'd like to learn too."

"Huh." Sirius took a bite of the muffin. It tasted all but perfect. "This is great, Iris." His goddaughter beamed in response. "This must be quite the movie."

"You can watch it. It's still in the DVD player in the living room." Bellatrix said with a mouthful of muffin. "Did you hear Sevvy leave? He's getting some books we need to start learning what we need to restore Lily's body."

"I didn't hear. I was sleeping pretty heavily." Sirius said.

"Yeah, so was I. I'm already feeling much better. You?" Bellatrix asked, raising one eyebrow. Sirius noticed it. Most of his cousins's social ticks had been suppressed by the runes, further obliterating any chance that she might be part of an elaborate trick or murder plot.

"I might need more rest, but I'm pretty good." Iris looked intently at him as she munched on her own muffin, as if trying to discern if he was lying. Sirius gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile; she grinned and sipped from a bottle of milk.

 _ **~Elsewhere~**_

In a cave at sea, there was a brilliant flash of light. A glittering clock appeared in the sky, the long arm slowly ticking until it reached the large twelve at the top. The light slowly faded down, revealing a small, slender figure, which slowly dropped to the ground.

The young man groaned and slowly rolled onto his side, brushing his messy black hair away from his face. He sat up, his hand going to the experimental time turner hanging around his neck. His clothes were plastered to his skin by cold water. His shirt was torn in several places, where the rotted hands of the Inferni had tried to drag him under.

Dazed, Regulus Black lifted his other hand, where he had been holding Voldemort's Horcrux before handing it over to Kreacher and telling him to flee. There was a scar there, left by Death; one that wouldn't fade until one's life expired. The only similar mark of its kind was the lightning bolt scar on the forehead of the Girl Who Lived.

"Kreacher?" Regulus called faintly.

A _crack_ split the sky, and the now elderly House Elf appeared in front of him. He let out a croaking gasp. "Master Regulus! Master Regulus! You have returned!"

"I...I suppose so." Regulus wheezed. His lungs still ached from being held underwater for nearly five minutes. Shakily, he got to his feet. "Take...take me home. I...I have to get to Lily, and Trixie. They...the horcrux..."

"Of course, Master Regulus." Kreacher said, snapping his fingers and transporting himself and his master away from the cave containing a part of Voldemort's history.

As the light faded, Regulus blinked the stars out of his eyes...only to find himself, not standing outside the small cottage in Gryffindor's Hollow, but an old mansion on a green hill he didn't recognize. "What?" He wondered. "What's happened..." His hand went to his time turner again. "What have I missed?"

 **End Chapter**

 _ **(cackles) Oh Regulus, you're in for a ride. But hey, someone has to try and keep the Prophecy Girl**_ **somewhat _sane, and it's not like Sirius is going to be filling in that role._**

 ** _Read and Review please!_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Lily's Horcrux**

 _ **Wanda: On to the next chapter! Now we're meeting some of Iris's childhood friends after she blows up her own Bailey. Of course, they'll be meeting in a much different way from canon. May I register my affection for the 1812 Overture? Aside from the Firebird (Fantasia 2000 is criminally underrated, in my humble opinion.) it's one of my favorite pieces of classical music.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 **Chapter 5: Power Anarchy**

The 1812 Overture roared through the empty building. It was about midway through the song, building up to the crescendo. The building belonged to the Ministry; it wasn't one of the central offices, but it had once been the meeting place of the 'High Brass', aka the Wizard Elite. The "Lords", pure blooded wizards who exerted brutal control over the 'peasants, ruffians and foreigners' who came to live on 'their' lands. Despite the fact that all powers held there had been nominally turned over to the Ministry following it's inception, many "lords" used this place to enact their own 'justice' whenever they could pay off the Minister/head of the DMLE to get their hands on whoever had upset them. Supposedly the building was remaining as a 'cultural symbol'. Savvy muggleborns knew what it really was – a symbol of the power 'pure bloods' still wielded, of their system.

So it was strange that muggle music was playing inside, was it not?

Bellatrix was standing on a rooftop on the building across the street from the old House of Lords, a bag of popcorn on her right, a CD player with a magical aura surrounding it on her right. "Let's see what you can do little flower," She said with borderline malicious anticipation.

"Are you sure we can't convince her to cast from this rooftop?" Regulus asked, eyeing the stone building's supports with some trepidation.

"She can apparate, Regulus. She's going to be just fine." Bellatrix said soothingly. Naturally, Regulus didn't look very convinced. "Besides, Lily's latent magics have made Iris more powerful than any witch her age. Don't worry... _enjoy the show_."

Inside the building, Iris swept her gaze across the floor of the House of Lord's basement. The grimacing face of Guy Fawkes concealed her smirk. Tossing her braided red hair over her shoulder, Iris raised her hands as though conducting a choir, reaching out with her magic to the single, solitary lit brazier in the middle of the room.

The crescendo was beginning...

Two separate strands of fire exploded out of the brazier. The flames took on the shape of dragons as they swept closer to their master, circling around her like spirits. Iris tilted her head and concentrated on the heat she was feeling...the fires turned from red to blue. The temperature spiked even more, and with a canon blasting across the cityscape Iris set her fire loose and teleported.

The blue flames melted straight through the first two support columns in a matter of moments. They spiralled outwards, alighting some gasoline that had been lain on the floor as an extra measture and burning through the books and scribes of bribery and falsified promises. The first floor of the building collapsed inward, the fire burning through the stone and wood floor to reach the neat pile of gunpowder in the centre. The explosion ripped through the two towers of the building and sent chunks of the roof tiles flying in every direction. Iris, standing on a rooftop just a street away, barely flinched as a chunk of stone struck the ground just a few feet away from her, grinning and waving her hands as though she was conducting the symphony as it reached its apex.

The blue flames roared and surrounded the wreckage, melting the remaining stone and metal into slag. Iris stood and watched, chuckling slightly. " _I think that went well, mom._ " She said.

" _I'm so impressed you set that up all by yourself!_ " Lily told her with a squee. " _Ah, life...My little girl is growing up so quickly."_

" _Weeelll, Trixie helped me a_ little... _"_ Iris admitted, before quickly adding, _"But I did do most of it! I got the music and the mask and everything. Too bad Uncle Sirius had to be on bed rest, he'd have loved to see this_."

" _However much he'd like to pretend otherwise, one does not simply walk off seven years with Dementors."_ Lily responded firmly. She had been the one to insist – loudly – with an echoing, reinforced voice – that Sirius stay in the Potter/Black Mansion and stay in bed for the minimum hospital requirement.

Hearing that kind of voice from eight year old Iris was extremely jarring; even if you knew it was possible.

"I'm surprised no one's come to hear the explosions." Regulus noted uncertainly, glancing around the streets. "I know that Fudge installed a curfew as a means of curbing crime."

Bellatrix snorted. "It was suggested to him by Daemon Moon. No one knows why he was after it, but he pursued it almost maniacally. One of the Ministry Foundations got the biggest donation in the past twenty years before that curfew was put in."

"...The Moon family is supposedly cursed." Regulus said. "I saw Daemon and his brother Randall among the Death Eaters; I think if your cursed self and Malfoy weren't around, they would have been his top enforcers."

Bellatrix gave her younger cousin a sharp look. "Did you see them in action?"

Regulus shook his head. "I'm sorry. They were pretty secretive; I only ever saw the aftermath of their attacks. Of course, no one really trusted each other among the Death Eaters; even in the Inner Circle. Even then..." He shivered. "The bodies they left behind...it was all kinds of fucked up. Usually they only went out during the night."

"The night...?" Bellatrix pondered.

Their conversation was interupted by thumping and yelling from down the street, breaking the silence following the demolition. Iris tilted her head to the right, frowned, and disappeared from her rooftop.

"Ah! Trixie, our charge is getting away-!" Regulus didn't even finish his sentence before he teleported down after her. Bellatrix chuckled,

"you're more of a doting, worry dad than James Potter was," she told the empty air before following him to the street.

 _ **~Later~**_

Hermione Granger wasn't having a good couple of nights. It started by being kidnapped by a werewolf and nearly getting her arm torn off.

The werewolf Fenrir Greyback had been retained by Daemon and Randall Moon after Voldemort's demise. While he usually remained at his 'Master's' sides, his services were sometimes rented out to the Moon family's ancient ally, the Davis family. Fredrick Davis had twisted desires, and Kaius Davis often struggled to keep it hidden under the veneer of respectability. Specifically, Fredrick preferred young girls. Quite young.

Kaius had originally borrowed the bastard child by Randall's brainwashed muggle mistress, whom he had brought into his family as an unorthodox fertility healing. However, once Daemon's daughter Lilian was born, Randall demanded the girl be returned 'as undamaged as possible' to prevent the real possibility of the child going 'insane from isolation'. Fredrick had been twitching like a drug addict ever since the twelve year old (the worst of her traumatic memories erased by Alys Davis against her husband's call, since she despised Fredrick) had left the house, and Kaius eventually asked that a 'muggle replacement' be found. He didn't want anything embarrassing ending up in the papers, after all.

So Greyback had hunted the roads and came across Hermione, who had been reading in the park waiting for her parents to come home from late night surgery. He had grabbed her, having reached the Moon household just after the full moon had risen.

Greyback then attacked Hermione, biting her arm viciously before Randall forced him away. Despite the girl now being infected with Lupus, Randall sent her to Kaius and Fredrick anyway, since rising Auror Amelia Bones had been asking questions about Alyson.

Hermione spent three days locked in the Davis basement under the throes of Lupus, suffering through her first transformation. At the end of it, she woke up to find a girl with night black hair and blue eyes kneeling next to her with water and the keys to the silver irons chaining her wrists and ankles.

Tracey Davis had an inkling about what the basement had been hiding. She hadn't been able to fight her parent's pure blood brainwashing until she saw Alyson, Lilian's muggle cousin, leaving the house in tattered clothes to join Randall and Daemon Moon.

Alyson wasn't much older than her. Seeing the shell shocked and empty look in her eyes had shaken her to her core. It gave her desperately needed perspective. With that in mind, she waited until nightfall, stole her father's keys and broke into the basement to free her family's newest victim.

Werewolf muggle born Hermione Granger.

"Shhh. It's okay. It's okay. I'm here to help you." Tracey promised, holding up the key and shaking them with some emphasis. Hermione eyed her warily, not saying anything – her voice hoarse from crying in pain. "I'm gonna get you out, okay?"

She reached down and picked up Hermione's wrist. The girl gasped in pain, the silver glowing faintly. "Sorry," Tracey gasped, quickly dropping the arm. "Sorry. I forgot. Let me get those off..." Taking the keys, she undid the wrist locks and unclasped them, tossing the cuffs to the side. The removal had made plain the painful looking burns on her wrists and hand. Hermione looked up at her for a moment, watching Tracey as she crawled over to unlock the ones on her ankles. Tossing the chains aside, Tracey looked back up into those dark brown eyes, dark with a bit of wary hope.

"I know the city a bit." Tracey said. "I...I don't know much about muggle London, but I can get you to the entrance of Diagon Alley." Hermione blinked once at word 'muggle'. Fenrir had called her that too, but she still didn't know what it meant. "I...just follow me, okay?" Mustering what she hoped was a friendly smile, Tracey offered the other girl her hand.

After a second of thought, Hermione took it. Tracey helped her stand up and pressed a finger against her lips to emphasize the need for silence. Then she carefully made her way up the stairs to the main floor, treading lightly so as not to cause the loud creaks in the old wood floor.

Her mother was sleeping on the couch. Tracey winced. Refusing her father sex was one of the few ways Alys was able to express displeasure for his behaviour. The medieval world of the wizards was not easy to navigate as a woman. Tracey hoped that her mother was disgusted by her father and uncle's treatment of Alyson and now Hermione.

Since Hermione was barefoot, Tracey stopped in the hallway to get her a pair of shoes and a coat. They were just about to leave when her father's house elf, an ornery creature named Micah, appeared with a crack.

"Where are you going, little mistress?" He asked with a nearly Malfoyesque sneer.

"Out for a walk. Just around the yard." Tracey said nervously, with a steadying breath. "I can't sleep, and I want some fresh air."

"And why is the _beast_ out of her cell?" Micah bit out.

Hermione's nails dug into Tracey's wrist as she stared down at the creature. Her brown eyes shivered and transformed into wolflike slits, a small growl bubbling in her throat.

"She's not a beast." Tracey said, her voice wavering but firm. "She's a girl. She s-shouldn't be chained up, so I let her go."

"You are disobeying your father." Micah said darkly. "You are disobeying my master." He raised his head and roared, " _MASTER! THE BEAST IS LOOSE!_ "

Tracey pulled out her mother's wand, 'borrowed' from the table, and hit the miserly House Elf straight in the chest with a stunner. Then, turning on her heel, she warned, "RUN!" before pushing the door open and breaking out into a sprint. Hermione kept up, glancing over her shoulder once to see a light going on in Kaius's room.

The two girls sprinted through the back streets, trying to avoid the occasional patrolling Auror keeping the curfew. It was dark, and in the panic of trying to stay ahead of her pursuing father Tracey quickly lost track of which street she was on. Kaius didn't chase after his daughter personally, since his lungs were weak thanks to the 'familial love' of his parents. Instead, he came to the first group of crooked Aurors he came across and told them that a 'beast' had kidnapped Tracey and intended to devour her on the next full moon.

Tracey and Hermione hadn't been running for too long when they started hearing music. Hermione looked up in surprise; the 1812 overture was her mother's favourite piece of classical music. Tracey, who hadn't heard it before, couldn't help but come to a stop in surprise. "What's that-?"

Her question broke off into a shriek of surprise and alarm when an explosion sent the streets shuddering. She and Hermione stumbled back against the wall, and they looked up in awe as the Old House of Lords erupted into blue fire before their eyes.

Once the tremors stopped, Tracey shared an amazed glance with her companion "...T-That was...who could have-?" A shout from the auror pack brought her back to the present. The two girls attempted to leave the alley only to be cut off by half the pack, five men with minor noble names, who had circled around when they saw the fires at the House of Lords. Hermione saw their other means of escape being cut off by the three others.

"So that's the beast..." The head honcho said, pointing at Hermione's burnt wrists. If the muggle born girl had been the flippant type, she would have described him as a 'beach ball with eyes set too close together, with more muscle than brains'. "She meets the description."

Hermione glared baefully at him. Tracey's heart was pounding; they were trapped.

"The Dangerous Disposal Committee will be happy," his second in command said, smirking. "The head honcho's been bored out of his mind. No decent cases have been brought to his door. If I were in his place, I'd be going spare."

"Let her go," Tracey managed to spit out bravely. Hermione looked at the other girl with awe. "She hasn't hurt me. _She was kidnapped_ -"

One of the men burst out laughing. "Hasn't hurt you? That freak? She just hasn't had the chance yet! A muggle born werewolf..." He spat on the ground. "Not worth the trouble. Not worth the air she breathes."

The head honcho grabbed Hermione and dragged her aside. Tracey lunged at him, going for her wand, but the more experienced pair of guards disarmed her and held her back. The head's friend kicked Hermione to the ground and the four pointed their wands at him.

"...The multiplying villainies of nature do swarm upon him." A young female voice drawled, catching the group off guard. The guards turned around to see a girl no taller than their two captives standing at the end of the street, a soft pulse of magic surrounding her. She had bright red hair and was dressed entirely in black – black shirt, black jeans and black shoes with red laces. Her face was hidden by a black and white mask in the style of Guy Fawkes.

"...The hell are you doing out after curfew, little girl?" The head honcho asked, exasperated. This night was proving to be more trouble than it was worth...he was not looking forward to having to tell Fudge that the House of Lords had been blown up.

The girl's only response was a low, malicious chuckle. Unnerved, the man nodded at the only man with a free set of hands and pointed at her. As the auror sauntered casually towards her, the girl raised her hand and pointed a finger. " _Bombadra._ "

The corrupt auror was thrown backwards with the force of the blow, which tore a head-sized hole through the man's chest, splattering blood all over the walls and cobblestone street. Tracey gasped and Hermione froze up in astonishment.

Brilliant red light flickered behind the eyes of the expressionless Guy Fawkes mask; the only warning any of these men would get. The two holding Tracey abandoned their charge to attack the girl, wands at the ready. Wordlessly the girl deflected the stunners sent her way, disarmed the two, and called, " _Incendio!_ " Blue flames shot through the air, catching on both men's robes and sending them screaming. One collapsed straight against the wall and the other immediately Apparated away, splinching off his hand in the process.

Striding forward, the masked girl smoothly knelt and offered Hermione her hand while the the Aurors were distracted rescuing their fellow crooked one. "I find our company most distasteful, would you agree? How about we move elsewhere?"

Hesitantly the bushy haired girl took the offered hand up. The aurors turned around to see the black clad girl vanish with a _crack_ , with Hermione and Tracey in tow. "What the hell!" The head honcho yelled desperately. "Since when can little kids fucking _apparate_?"

"Oh, I'd tell you little Crabby, but I don't think your pretty little mind could handle it." A sing song female voice crooned. An older female voice. A well known female voice.

A voice that everyone who had experienced the first war feared beyond almost all reason.

The four remaining aurors spun around, all pointing their wands at the entrance to the alley. Standing there, swaying slightly, was Bellatrix Black. A single, terrifying smirk materialized in the darkness of the night. " _Hello, boys._ "

 _ ****~On the rooftop~****_

Bellatrix didn't like the idea of traumatizing children – she had always rather liked children, after all – so a silencing ward spared Tracey and Hermione from the noise of bones snapping and men screaming as she dealt away with the lynchers with practised grace.

The girl dressed in black knelt and fished through her coat pockets until she came up with a vial full of crystal liquid, which she offered to Hermione. The girl looked curiously at their rescuer. "It's okay. It's a painkiller. Those burns look like they hurt." After a pause and an encouraging nod from Tracey, who recognized the potion, Hermione downed it in one drink and let out a noise of surprise as the sharp pains from her wrists and ankles faded away.

"...Who are you?" Tracey asked the girl uncertainly.

Both girls swore their rescuer smirked beneath her mask. "Viola! In View a humble Vaudevillian Veteran cast Vicariously as both Victim and Villain by the Vicissitudes of fate." Raising her hand, she pulled the mask back until it rested on the top of her head, revealing a pair of sparkling, mischievous emerald green eyes, several strands of dark red hair framing her young face. "I am Iris Potter and Black, the Girl Who Lived, Child of Prophecy, and soon to be Wizard Britain's greatest Anarchist."

Tracey's eyes widened. "You...oh my lord..."

Hermione, meanwhile, was eyeing Iris uncertainly, her arms pressed against her chest. "Are you...a crazy person?" She asked huskily, her voice still sore and worn out.

Tracey shot her companion an are-you-kidding-me look, but Iris merely chuckled lightly in response. "I'm quite sure there are those who will say so." She responded. "Now that I've introduced myself, may I know your names?"

"...I'm Hermione Granger." The brunette managed softly.

"Tracey Davis." The black haired girl offered.

"Greetings," Iris said warmly. "I'm sorry it wasn't under more fun circumstances. I've already spent half of my fireworks, but I had one more show planned for tonight. Perhaps I may lift your spirits before you find a place to rest for tonight?"

"Light...show?" Tracey asked slowly, before the obviously hit her. "Wait...the House of Lords...that was _you_? Y-you...you did all that? By yourself?"

"More or less," Iris admitted cheerfully. "The second place is less symbolic, but it's still a hideout for lowlifes like the ones you just had a run in with. I have everything set up, and it will be a bit more colourful than the first."

"...Okay," Hermione managed, rubbing her wrists slightly. Tracey looked more uncertain, but after a minute of deliberation she followed behind as the three girls jumped across a few rooftops before reaching a street corner overlooking a pub.

"I know that place." Tracey muttered uncertainly. "My dad goes there a lot..."

Iris nodded. "Yes. It's a meeting place for pure bloods of high family standing. This place is the one where 'the right to refuse service' is used the most." Hermione didn't look very pleased to hear this. "Now..." Iris raised her hands. "Three, two, one..."

This time, it was fireworks – six crates full. The Malfoy owned pub erupted into a brilliant rainbow of colours. Reds, violets, greens and blues spread across the sky, the windows exploding and fire licking from the windows. Multicoloured lights flew straight up in the sky, taking the shape of a stylized lighting bolt.

Tracey gaped while Hermione looked in awe. Iris smiled. "When things are wound up too tight, they end up falling apart." She said. "They think their system is invulnerable...but nothing is."

Distant calls sounded in the distance. "Hey! Little flower!" The three girls turned around to see both Regulus and Bellatrix hurrying towards them. "It's time for us to hit the road!"

"Wait," Tracey asked quickly. "C-Can we come with you?"

Regulus looked surprised at the question. "Of course." He said, picking a chain out of his pocket. "We're going to Iris's house; you'll be safe there."

"Thank you," Hermione said with a tiny smile. Regulus wrapped the chain around everyone's hand and they vanished into a brilliant flash.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **So yeah, Hermione's a werewolf here. That will be fun to play with.**_

 _ **As a random note, I think Iris is going to be bisexual later in this story - it would suit her devil may care, fearless, 'I have no limitations or restrictions I adhere to' attitude towards the world. Let me know if you agree.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Lily's Horcrux**

 _ **Wanda: Hey everyone, sorry about the delay. Code Geass happened. (is still watching the first season for the fifth time.) Anyway, this chapter was fun to write, and we're drawing closer to Lily's revival, which will either be the next chapter or the one after that. (Sev has been missing from last chapter because he's been collecting materials!)**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. No freakin duh.**_

 **Chapter 6: Making Friends and Explaining Things**

Emily and Jared Granger were fit to be tied. They had been handed one patient just as they were about to leave and ran just thirty minutes over time, and now their daughter was _missing_. Vanished! Emily had sworn up and down that if something had happened to her precious baby girl because that pompous rich brat hadn't been bothered to floss, she would beat his head in with a cast iron baseball bat.

They had phoned the police, obviously, but after a few hours the constable was scratching his head.

"It's like she just vanished into thin air." The man said, both tired and unnerved. "There were other people on the street, but they said they didn't see anything out of the ordinary. A car would have been picked up by the traffic cameras. I'll go back and ask for more hands on deck, but I'm afraid I have to ask you to wait..."

Jared was pacing back and forth in the police headquarters, gritting his teeth and trying to hide how frightened he was from his equally worried and enraged wife. "Do you remember what she was wearing?" Emily fretted. "I knew I should have bought her that phone!"

"I...I don't remember dear, I'm sorry." Jared confessed, running his fingers through his brown hair and resisting the temptation to rip it out by the roots.

"She could be anywhere!" Emily whimpered, clenching her fists on her knees.

"I should have told her to stay inside, no matter how hot the building was," Jared muttered. "I should have insisted. Where are you, Hermione?!"

The two worried parents had remained in and out of that building for nearly three days. The police turned up no leads, questioning everyone at the site but discovering nothing.

They were preparing for months of worry and agony in the middle of the third night when the door opened. Emily spun around and gasped loudly. Hermione was standing in the doorway, her shirt torn and blood soaked at the right arm. Her clothes were dirty and her wrists were covered in burn scars. She was surrounded by two girls on either side of her, with a young man standing behind them. One girl was twitching nervously, playing with a strand of her black hair. The other one was wearing a Guy Fawkes mask.

Emily rushed over and hugged her daughter tightly. "My baby, my little girl, are you okay?! What happened to you ,where have you been?!"

Jared quickly took Hermione's left arm and pulled the sleeve back. A row of rips and puncture holes were lining her arm right below her shoulder; thick bloodstains having sunken into her jacket. The wounds looked old, with ugly half scabs. He choked and said, "S-Someone get a doctor. Her-something's mauled her arm!"

The policeman behind the desk immediately bolted down the hallway to follow up on that. Hermione said nothing, just resting her head against her mother's chest, relieved to having been brought back to her parents.

Finally Emily drew her attention back to the children and adult who had come in with her. The masked girl waved. Probably noticing the mother's confused and slightly unnerved look, the young man tapped her on the shoulder. "Iris. Mask."

"Oh. This thing. Right." The girl named Iris pulled the mask back, revealing a young face and brilliant green eyes. Immediately Emily knew there was something different, and special, about this child. The light in her eyes reminded her of something she'd tried to forget after coming home to enter the dentist practice. But there was warmth there, too – humanity.

"Who are you?" Emily asked, her voice weak. "Did-did you find my baby?"

"Um, my name's Regulus Black." The young man introduced himself with a slight, shy smile. "This is my niece, Iris, and her friend, Tracey."

"I found Hermione in a warehouse basement when I was out playing." Tracey explained quietly. "There were some bad people there...I stole the key and brought her to the street. They tried to catch up with us, but we ran into Iris and Regulus during their walk. Regulus scared them off and then we came here."

Emily let out a shaky gasp and gave the started Tracey a tight hug. "Bless you, bless you little girl...thank you so much." Tracey 'eeped' slightly. Alys hadn't hugged her often – her mother knew woefully little about expressing affection, thanks to her own upbringing. And of course, Kaius wasn't even worth mentioning. It was a strange, nice feeling.

"I had a look at Hermione's arm injury," Regulus offered. "It's not too severe, and I cleaned it up as best I could. She should be..." his eyes flickered slightly, "she should be alright."

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

"Can I ask you something?" Emily asked the three strangers as they left the police office together. Indeed, Hermione's injury was not severe and supposedly not infected, so she was released after giving a vague statement about what her kidnappers had looked like. The girl seemed fairly happy to be conversing with Tracey and Iris, who were walking slightly ahead.

"Do you always wear that mask when you go out?" The young bookworm asked Iris.

"Always? No. Just when I think it's appropriately dramatic." Iris responded sunnily.

"Of course. What is it?" Regulus asked.

"When you said that Hermione should be okay, your eyes flickered." Emily stated, walking sideways to watch his expression. Sure enough, his eyes twitched again. "Is there something you didn't think you could say in the station?"

"I didn't say it because it's hard to believe." Regulus said. "I could get in a lot of trouble for saying it in the wrong place – that is, trouble we could probably get out of, but would then transfer to you. I didn't wish that."

"So...so what? Is there actually something wrong with Hermione?" Jared asked, alarmed. "Who are you people?"

Iris turned around at this and grinned at Regulus. "Can we? She's one of us, Reg. I saw when she held my wand." Hermione turned slightly. Sure enough, the holly wand was clutched in her hands, shooting small sparks at the ground.

Regulus glanced around the area in front of the Granger household. They were alone. "Sure. ...Mr and Mrs Granger, your daughter wasn't bitten by a rabid animal or a guard dog. The culprit was something you have been trained to believe doesn't exist."

"W-What?!"

"Hermione was bitten by a werewolf." Regulus explained simply. "It's difficult to explain why at the moment, but she was taken from the park by a werewolf under the orders of a wizard. That's why the mundane police couldn't find her despite her vanishing from a park where there are cameras."

Iris grinned. Right when Emily was about to open her mouth and call them insane, the girl trembled and shapeshifted into her hawk form. Jared yelped and stumbled backwards, Emily let out a small shriek of surprise and even Hermione, who had been told about animagi but hadn't seen it yet, jumped. Tracey stared in awe. _She's already an animagus?! At eight?!_

Regulus pulled his wand out and waved it in the air, transforming a fallen flower petal into a small horse figurine. He handed it to Jared, who stared at it, stunned.

"Oh, I should have brought a camera!" Iris chuckled as she transformed back. "So that's what it looks like when the world's been turned upside down!"

"I...I..." Emily stammered.

"I imagine strange things have happened around Hermione, at times when she's angry or upset?" Regulus guessed. "Things that have no rational explanation?"

"I...yes." Jared admitted, shaking his head slowly as he wrapped his brain around what he had just seen. A girl transforming into a hawk. His own eyes had not deceived him; she had been standing directly in front of him.

"Your daughter is a first generation witch." Regulus explained. "That's a term used in our world to describe people who are born to two parents who lack magic, but develop it anyway."

"Well, it's the polite one anyway." Tracey muttered.

"S-So, there are more of you?" Emily asked tentatively. "A...a whole world?"

"Yes." Iris chirped. "Official policy since the witch hunts has been that we live under wards that keep non magical people from finding us. When Hermione turns eleven, she'll get a letter from a school called Hogwarts offering to teach her more in the ways of magic...of course, we could give her more of a head start if we keep hanging out!"

"There's an underage magic restriction meant to keep young mundane-born children from breaking the Statue of Secrecy," Regulus explained, "but it's not implemented in houses where there is at least one adult witch or wizard, like our home. I think what Iris is trying to say is that she likes Hermione, and would like her to visit sometime."

"I'm sorry," He added when Emily started to look dizzy. "This must be a lot to absorb all at once, so I'll jump to the point." Reaching into his charmed handbag, Regulus pulled out a box with twelve bottles in it. Each bottle had a silvery looking liquid in it. "Hermione was bitten by a werewolf, which means that he transferred his, let's call it a _condition_ , to her."

"M-My daughter's become a werewolf?" Emily gasped. Hermione nodded, her eyes still distant. She was still recovering from the shock of learning all this herself.

"Yes." Regulus said, firm but not unsympathetic. He handed the container to a numb Jared. "What I'm holding in my hand is twelve bottles of Wolfsbane potion. While there is no known cure to the _Lupus_ disease, the potion masters of our community have developed a way to blunt its power during the full moon. Hermione needs to take this every night where there is a full moon in the sky, and it will keep her from loosing herself in the wolf's savagery. Do you have a lunar calendar?"

"N-No. But I can get one," Jared said. "There's a novelty store run by a friend of mine, he has all sorts of things there."

"Good." Regulus nodded. "Get one as soon as you can."

Iris pulled a card out of her pocket and offered it to Hermione, who took it with a small, hopeful smile. "If you have more questions, you can meet us here. This is where I live." Then she turned and offered her hand to Tracey. The girl blinked twice, and then tentatively accepted it.

"I'm sorry we met under these circumstances." Regulus said sincerely. "I hope we'll meet again, in some less troubled time."

With that, Regulus, Iris and Tracey all vanished with a crack. Emily and Jared both yelped and stared at the spot where the three had been standing. Hermione looked down at the card, let up at her parents. "I like them," she said matter-of-factly. "I think they're the right kind of crazy."

 _ **~At the Potter Home~**_

"Hey, Trace, you look distracted. Can I call you Trace?" Tracey looked up in surprise, meeting Iris Potter's intense green eyes. They had landed in the Potter's front yard just a minute ago. Bellatrix Black, amazingly purged of the madness her family had praised, had been waiting there for them. Regulus walked ahead to explain what had happened.

"Y..yes, I guess." Tracey said uncertainly. No one had ever given her a nickname; at least, none of the children who she was allowed to mingle with did. None of them were allowed to be emotionally open. It 'created unacceptable potential weaknesses', Kaius liked to say.

"You're worried about going home?" Iris guessed.

Tracey gulped. She thought about how her father would react, and then stared down at her feet. "... _Idon'twanttogohome,_ " She stammered out, before flinching and taking a step backwards.

She almost expected to get hit, but Iris just smiled grimly. It was very different from the easygoing or manic grins she had shown while blowing up the pub or talking to the Granger parents. It was both comforting and dangerous.

"You don't have to go, if you don't want to."

"I-What!?" Tracey exclaimed, staring at her clearly insane friend with an aghast expression. "Are you kidding? Father will say you kidnapped me!"

"Even the Davis patriarch will respect House Protection." Iris explained with a shrug. "That's one of about three of these anarchistic, backwards, self serving laws that I actually somewhat respect. If you're in danger there – I believe defying him to protect Hermione counts – then you can stay with another family. Like mine."

Tracey's eyes widened, and her locked her trembling fingers together. "I...you'd do that? For a stranger?"

Iris chuckled. "We met each other in the darkness of night, defying the machine of oppression that runs our world. I don't think that was a coincidence, do you?" When Tracey said nothing, Iris took her hand. "C'mon. I'll introduce you to my folks."

"Oh...okay." Tracey managed, rapidly blinking to keep relieved tears away.

"Great! Besides...I always wanted a sister." Iris added. Tracey gasped, and after a second gave the other girl a tiny smile.

"Thank you, Iris."

 _ **~One Week Later~**_

Tracey looked out her bedroom window in the Potter household with a content sigh, enjoying the feeling of morning sunlight on her face. She picked up her cellphone in her hands, making a small noise. Her week with muggle technology had been a real eye opener – contrary to what her father thought, the mundane world was probably ahead of them by a few centuries! Tracey had spent several hours in front of the television, and after that just spent some time turning a light switch on and off. Bellatrix had been amused by her fascination.

"It's great, isn't it?" The eldest Black sibling had asked when Tracey flicked the light on again, looking up at the lamp hanging from the ceiling.

Tracey glanced back into her room. She had soft blue wallpaper, a floor covered with books and toys (she had never been allowed to be a child as a pure blood heiress) and her own mini fridge in case she got hungry in the night. Given that Tracey had become obsessed with pizza ever since Bellatrix and Regulus had taken the girls out for dinner, the first thing she did was stow some away for later, along with a canister of caramel ice cream.

Tracey was brought out of her thoughts by a light rattle at the gate. Straining her eyes slightly, Tracey saw they had visitors, grinned, and bolted out the door and across the hall to hammer on Iris's door. (the child of prophecy was _not_ a morning person.)

"Iris! Iris, wake up! Hermione's here!"

Iris appeared directly behind her with a crack, causing Tracey to jump slightly – she was still adjusting to the fact that her pseudo sister could apparate. Bellatrix and Sirius Black, who was not a killer after all, were teaching her how to do it herself, but she hadn't mastered it yet. Iris, meanwhile, could do it as easily as breathing, thanks to her mother.

"Awesome! Let's go meet her!" Iris cheered.

The two girls hurried down the stairwell and opened the large front doors, waving enthusiastically to Hermione. The bookworm's expression lit up considerably, while Emily's nervousness faded slightly. As strange as those two girls were, she thought as they ran forward, they were clearly excited to see Hermione.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **So yeah! Iris will be teaching her two best friends magic beyond first year stuff before they even get to school. The Potter house is off the grid, and since Lily had Iris buy her wand from a place other than Ollivanders she doesn't have to worry about the Trace either (which is in fact why Lily chose this place).**_

 ** _Thanks to everyone who voted on Lily's animagus form! We'll be seeing the fruits of that very soon!_**

 ** _Read and Review please!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Lily's Horcrux**

 _ **Wanda: Short interlude chapter because Writer's Block is a bastard. (explosions in the distance) I'm sorry. Code Geass and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED happened, and I couldn't think of anything else. I think I'm going to jump ahead to the school years thanks to Writer's Block...unless I change my mind.**_

 _ **...I wonder if I can sneak a Geass or a Gundam in here somewhere - no, bad Wanda! (hits forehead) This is not a crossover!**_

 _ **Tyene: (examining nails) First sign of insanity is when you're talking to yourself...**_

 _ **Wanda: Ah, shaddup.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. No shite.**

 **Interlude: Resurrection**

"You're sure we have everything we need...?"

"Honestly Regulus, would I be preparing this if I wasn't absolutely sure I had everything we needed?" Severus asked his best friend with a hint of exasperation. He, Regulus, Bellatrix, Tracey and Iris were standing in a cirlce around a large, bubbling cauldron. Bellatrix had a trench overcoat slung over her shoulder, while Iris was bouncing on her toes with excitement.

Iris was wearing a dress, bouncing on her heels and looking excitedly at the cauldron. Tracey looked more subdued, though she was eyeing the cauldron with no small amount of curiosity, a hint of eagerness and plenty of trepidation.

Bellatrix put a fond hand on the girl-who-lived's shoulders. "Take it easy, little bird." She said teasingly. "You can't rush the setup."

Iris squirmed slightly but obediently stilled her shoulders. Meanwhile, Severus was unloading a bone into the boiling waters, before gesturing for the mini redhead to come closer. Regulus tensed up a bit, causing Bellatrix to throw him a friendly look. "It's gonna be fine, softie," She said.

"Blood from the daughter. Willingly given." Iris winced a bit as the knife sliced her wrist, red drops spilling into the torrent. Tracey watched her pseudo adoptive sister in concern, as Severus cast a healing charm and gestured for her to step back.

The cauldron erupted, spraying water and blazing red light up towards the sky. The children winced and threw their hands over their eyes, while Bellatrix burst into gleeful laughter and Regulus took a nervous stance to keep from falling over.

When the light faded, a young woman with brilliant red hair lying over the side of the cauldron. After a moment of tense silence, she stirred and sat up a bit. "...Air. I had forgotten what it tasted like," she said with soft awe, her voice hoarse.

"Mommy?" Iris asked shyly.

Lily Potter turned her head slightly towards her daughter, and a smile broke across her face. "You've gotten big. How am I supposed to carry you now?"

Bellatrix grinned and threw Lily the coat, since she was naked. Lily wrapped it around her shoulders and tied it closed, before standing up and stepping out of the cauldron with Severus holding her arm to steady her. Regulus slowly walked towards her, awe in his eyes. "That's really you, Lily..."

Lily's green eyes alit on him, and her smile widened. "Regulus! You've come back!" She threw her arms around his shoulders and gave him a hug. "And Trixie! You're back to normal! This is wonderful!" She pulled her sister into a tight hug, causing them both to wheeze slightly. Iris squeezed in between them to join in, burying her head in Lily's stomach.

Lily laughed and swept the girl up in her arms, spinning her around in a circle over her head like when she had been a baby. Tracey fidgeted and looked both nervous and jealous of her friend/sister. Once she had placed Iris back on the ground, Lily turned towards Tracey.

"Tracey, right? I saw everything through Iris's eyes. How's your stay here been so far?"

"It's very...enlightening." Tracey said hesitantly. "Iris, Miss Trixie and Mister Regulus have been very kind and welcoming to me."

"I'm glad." Lily said sincerely, before taking a step and stumbling. "Argh, I really hope there's some food in the kitchen. I'm friggin starving, thirsty and tired as hell."

 **~Line Break~**

Iris immediately cuddled up to Lily when the woman collapsed on the couch, a large mug of milk and a plate of toast in hand. Tracey sat on her pseudo sister's right, and all of them were watching the television on the wall. The TV was set to Star Trek: The Original Series, currently in the middle of the episode, "Taste of Armageddon". _"You've made war neat and painless. So neat and painless, you've never had a reason to stop. ...I have given the horrors of war back to you._ "

"Kirk is smarter than people remember, isn't he?" Iris remarked. "People remember him as the cowboy officer in space, but he's actually pretty shrewd."

"Looks can be very deceiving. People are often more complex than initial impressions would have you think," Lily responded with a slight shrug, continuing to eat her toast. "You're very right, Iris."

"How are you feeling, mommy?" Iris asked, childishly sweet and worried. Tracey could hardly equate this nervous little redhead with the creepy, fearless masked girl who had rescued her and Hermione from the late night patrol.

"Worn out," Lily responded with a slight laugh. "Coming back from the dead takes a lot out of you. I don't recommend it."

"I don't plan on dying, mommy."

"No one does, my sweet little flower. That's why you have to be careful." Lily said, lightly tousling Iris's hair while she spoke.

"You see pretty introspective, Lils," Bellatrix commented, crashing on the nearby couch. "It's not like you to be quiet and cautious."

"I was never _not_ cautious," Lily said, sounding mildly affronted. "Being dead lent me some perspective I thought I'd share. Not to mention I'm frickin' tired as sin. That's all."

"Then shouldn't you be asleep?" Regulus asked worriedly.

"I wanted to spend some time with my daughter first. I'll probably be asleep for several days." Lily said, reaching out and squeezing Regulus's wrist. Her lover smiled brightly back at her. Seeing her return to life seemed to have taken all the weight he carried off his shoulders.

"Sleeping is good," Iris said with a big yawn. "Can't wait for you to meet Mia, mommy..." She said, in reference to her absent werewolf friend.

"Alright, off to bed with both of you," Bellatrix decided, switching the TV off with her remote and walking over to her sister and niece. She grabbed a blanket and threw it over the pair, while Regulus moved the pillows so Lily could lie down comfortably. Tracey got up and walked to the Black family's side as Lily closed her eyes and began to sleep.

"It's starting," Bellatrix cackled. "The wheel of fate is in motion..."

"The wheel of fate?" Regulus glanced over at her. "You mean the wheel that Iris promised to smash into pieces, starting with her own prophecy?"

"Exactly."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Yup. There's a hint of Anarchist Iris's endgame - and its hers, not Lily's, because she came up with it on her own. Not that Lily will object when she finds out. In the end, even the laws of Fate won't constrain the Prophecy Child...**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Lily's Horcrux**

 _ **Writer's Block: I WON, I WON, NEER, NEER, NEER! (Is eaten by Norbert)**_

 _ **Me: Uuugh. Maybe I should have just skipped to fifth year.**_

 _ **Iris: (clicks tongue) And leave your readers confused, have to write an excessive amount of backstory, and miss out on several story opportunities? Where's the fun in that?**_

 _ **Me: It'll be more fun if it wasn't attracting that thing. (scowls at the place where Writer's Block was)**_

 _ **Iris: Oh, relax. He never lasts long.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

 **Chapter 7: First Impressions**

"Okay, let's stick the entrance to our platform in the middle of the wall. I'm sure the muggleborns won't find that really confusing." Iris Potter crossed her arms and stared up at the wall between platforms nine and ten. "How many non magic raised people do you want to bet get lost here?"

"Most of them?" Hermione Granger suggested, reaching up and touching the wall experimentally. Her hand slid right through it. "Yup, still feels uncanny. Ugh." She shifted the massive bookbag slung over her shoulder, as if the weight meant nothing. Given her enhanced strength, it really didn't. "I guess you can't train the muggle out of the muggleborn."

"Nah. More like 'it takes a long time to train the skeptic out of the muggleborn'," Tracey Davis responded teasingly. Hermione shot her a dirty look but didn't argue; she'd had a tendency to question legends and stories of the wizard world during her initial entrance to it, it was only really when she saw Iris's mother come back from the dead that she conceded that anything could be possible. That, and once you've seen enough of this world nothing could surprise you anymore.

Turning into a wolf every other night could do that to you.

Not that Hermione's transformations were tricky. Wolfsbane blunted the savagery, and Iris, Bellatrix, Regulus and Lily Evans-Potter would transform and spend the night with her. A gothic muggle writer would kill to put the scene in the book; a wolf girl, running through the woods with a hawk and a raven flying overhead, a slender lynx and a sleek crimson red fox keeping pace at her either side. After her first two transformations, she stopped fearing the full moon and actually started looking forward to it. Her parents still couldn't approach her while she was transformed, but it was as close to ideal as someone in her less-than-stellar situation could be. Especially for a muggleborn; without the Potter family's official 'protection' she'd probably have been forcibly moved to an orphanage in order to 'preserve the statue of secrecy'.

As if muggles were incapable of giving their children liquid medicine at certain points of the day. Bloody politicians.

Politicans were the one thing Iris truly hated in the world. Useless, whiny, obstructive, self interested imbeciles. But they could also be fun, depending on the day. Why?

Because no matter what you did to them, you didn't feel bad afterwards!

"Why is it Nine and Three Quarters anyway? Shouldn't it be Nine and a Half?" Iris wondered.

"I think you're splitting hairs, Iris." Hermione deadpanned.

"What do you suppose Trixie meant by 'going downtown' after we've gotten to school?" Tracey wondered aloud. She used Bellatrix's nickname after much insistence from the older woman's end; Hermione still hadn't been convinced to do so. Perhaps it simply didn't fit into her usual syntax.

Iris shrugged. "Auntie didn't mention it, so I think it's kinda personal. She's got papa Regulus looking after her, so I wouldn't worry."

Hermione snorted. "More like _she's_ looking after _him_." Regulus was the family's sanity check, time master and mission control. He was _not_ a fighter, preferring to leave the dirty work to Bellatrix, Sirius and Lily. Oddly for a boy, especially one raised as a 'preferred' heir to a house (though that didn't last when Walburga found out about his feelings for a _mudblood_ ) to be comfortable as a non combatant (at least, in serious situations – Regulus was perfectly capable of extracting himself from trouble), but Regulus was hardly typical. He _was_ Sirius Black's little brother, after all.

"Point," The redhead acknowledged. "But that's probably better than sending Padfoot."

The girls all giggled, remembering the various times Sirius had been pulled back to the house since he had left without the proper glamour charms. "Where do the latest Black Watch papers put him, anyway?" Tracey asked.

Iris burst out laughing. Her two friends put their hands on their hips and waited for her to compose herself. "Australia," She managed after a second. Hermione cracked a smile while Tracey let her snickers overwhelm her after a second of thought.

"Oh Merlin."

"Told you. They're all idiots."

It was helpful that the Ministry didn't know about Sirius's 'Padfoot' form. Animagus forms were fun. Hermione couldn't transform in the daytime (a more innocent wolf form could be used when the moon was waning) and Tracey had to wait a while longer before attempting the transformation, to let her magic develop more – Bellatrix had more or less promised that she'd start learning her animagus transformation on her fifteenth birthday. Alys had more or less insisted on the wait, 'strictly for her own peace of mind'. Tracey had been a bit put out on waiting for five years, but she accepted her mother and 'auntie's' judgment.

Yes, Tracey was officially, partially orphaned. What the courts had not bothered to look deeply at, murder took care of quite neatly!

 _It's not murder, it's community service,_ Bellatrix kept insisting whenever Regulus exasperated over it.

The 'accidents' Lily and her sworn blood sister had arranged for Kaius and Fredrick Davis were amusing – especially since, apparently, the Prophet accepted them at face value. I mean really? No one's wondering how someone could drown on two inches of butterbeer? Or _accidentally_ eat enough lard to burst their stomach? (Lily had come up with _that_ one when Tracey let slip something about Alyson. Bellatrix was happy to help with the execution.) Oh, and you're not going to ask why Alys Davis was _the_ most cheerful widow you'd ever meet?

No? We're just going to blindly believe what was written in the paper sponsored by the government? Okay then, good little sheep, you just go back to grazing.

"C'mon, it's the first day. Let's all go through together. Hand in hand. For luck!" Iris chirped, grabbing her friend's hands.

"You don't believe in luck," Tracey pointed out.

"It's the principle of the thing." Iris responded, pouting slightly. "Indulge me, Trace!"

Hermione nodded. Tracey shrugged and smiled and the three of them walked through the dividing wall with their luggage trundling along behind them. Various size charms had ensured that everything could fit in one suitcase...and a whole lot more in Iris's case, but that was for later.

The scarlet train was an old steam engine, and Iris beamed approvingly when she saw it – she was a sucker for the steam punk genre. Hermione looked around with awe; despite various trips to Diagon Alley it was still a marvel to set foot in the fully magical world and she had only seen this in pictures. Tracey was scanning the crowds, looking for anyone she might recognize.

There were a number of kids from her former social circles scattered all over the place – she spotted Daphne hugging her sisters Astoria and Crescent goodbye, Pansy Parkinson leaving her mother's side and walking towards the Malfoy parents with all the grim determination of a convict approaching the executioner's axe, Zacharias Smith hoisting his trunk onto the train before disappearing into it, Maya Pritchard trying to distangle her little brother Graham from her so she could board as well, a flock of Weasleys lead on by a pair of twins who looked like they were having fun with a large spider, and – a flash of snow white hair -

"Bloody hell."

"What?" Hermione asked, startled.

"Lilian Moon is going to school," Tracey said in hushed awe. Hermione stiffened at the mention of that family; an ingrained instinct thanks to the night she was bitten. "The Moons haven't broken their self imposed isolation for seven generations."

Iris clicked her tongue. "It's a year for surprises, isn't it?" She smiled. "Inward and onward we go!"

 _ ****~Ron's POV~****_

Ron Weasley, despite being on the train to go to his very first year of Hogwarts, was feeling pretty melancholy. How could someone from a family of seven, standing in a crowd of his fellow schoolmates and first years, feel so alone?

Maybe it was inadequacy. Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George – they'd already gone and done everything under the sun both at home and at school. His parents had made that abundantly clear, however inadvertently. And if there was nothing special about him, why would anyone want to be friends with him? Especially someone who, for all he owned, had only hand me downs – Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand...

He sat down in a compartment and stared at the old thing, frowning at the unicorn hair sticking out of it. Yup, if he ended up with friends during this year, it was probably going to be out of pity.

Scabbers squeaked, demanding to be let out of his pocket. He lifted the fat brown rat and scowled at it, wishing not for the first time that his parents had just a little more money. Scabbers was fat, lazy and useless; he wish that he'd been able to have his own owl, at least.

"Ello. This compartment full?"

Ron tilted his head up...and felt them go wide as dinner plates.

She was leaning against the side of the door, red hair falling around her face like a messy halo...but that was all of her face that he could see. The rest of her face was covered with a Guy Fawkes mask – Bill had told him that story once, a few days after the disaster at the House of Lords. She also wasn't wearing her school robes, but muggle clothes – blue jeans and a black jacket over a crimson red shirt. Her wand – a slim holly stick, clearly a fresh purchase – was in a holster of sorts at her hip. Wasn't that a sort of muggle thing?

She wasn't alone either – there were two other girls with her, though they didn't have masks. The girl on her left had busy brown hair, brown eyes and a serious face. A library bag slung over one shoulder, and she was already in her school robes. The girl on her right was a pretty girl with raven black hair and eyes blue as sapphires. She was also in her school uniform, however she was clearly wearing muggle clothes like her leader's beneath it. Despite being an eleven year old boy, Ron gawked at the three girls, unable to formulate a thought.

"Ello?" The girl repeated. "These seats aren't being held, are they?"

Ron's mouth worked silently a few times before he managed, "N-No. You can sit...if you want..." part of him almost wanted to tell her to go away; the expressionless mask was eerie to look at, seemingly at odds with the friendly voice coming out of it.

"Thanks!" The masked girl chirped, striding in and drawing her wand. She waved it over her trunk once, and it floated up to sit on the rails overhead. Ron stared in amazement; the brunette simply stepped up on the couch and easily slid her bag up next to it while the redhead delicately stepped past him to put her trunk next to his.

"You just did magic," Ron said in awe. "I mean – you can always do that?"

"Of course," The masked girl responded, dropping down on the couch and swinging one leg over the other. Ron had a sense that she was grinning at him beneath her mask – grinning with sharp, calculating eyes like a bird of prey. "What's your name? Are you a Weasley? You kinda look like a Weasley. Its the hair and freckles."

"I...uh..." He nodded once, twice. "Yeah. I'm Ron Weasley."

"I'm Iris." The masked girl said. "This is Hermione-" she gestured to the brunette "-and Tracey." The redhead nodded.

"Is that your wand?" Hermione asked, frowning at it. "I don't think that's safe. If the hair's exposed, it won't channel your magic properly."

Ron felt his ears turn red. "It's all I've got," he muttered, defensive and a little aggravated that she'd already noticed. "My family...well...we've gotta cut corners in places. We use hand me downs. Like this one."

"Hmm." The masked girl tilted her head upwards, towards the ceiling. She became weirdly still; like she'd been carved in stone, listening to something. Hermione and Tracey exchanged uncertain looks, which weirded Ron out more. He opened his mouth to ask something when suddenly Iris was suddenly animated again. "May I see it, Ron?"

"H-Huh?"

"Just for a second. Don't worry. It can't get any worse." She offered her hand.

For a second, Ron considered finding an excuse to leave the compartment – maybe hide out near the bathroom until the train reached Hogwarts. He was getting a weird vibe from these girls, and that mask creeped him out. But a look at his shabby wand rebelled against that. _She can't make it much worse without breaking it._ He told himself. _Hell if she does break it I can ask for a replacement._ He liked that thought, and he handed the wand.

Iris delicately balanced the old wand on her knees and drew her own wand along it. She was muttering something – something Ron couldn't understand. It didn't sound like English. Then his wand shuddered, glowed gold for several seconds, then grew in length – the colour of the wood darkened, the hair tip disappeared. Then the glow vanished and Iris handed it over to him with a smile. "There. That's better."

Ron held it in his hand with awe. His wand looked brand new. "H-How'd you do that?"

"You'd be amazed what you learn when you have the biggest library in London to stick your nose in," Iris responded easily. Tracey looked mildly disapproving, but Hermione just smiled. Ron felt hot in his chest and he smiled at them.

"T-Thank you."

Iris leaned back against her couch. For a moment there was silence, not wholly uncomfortable but still something Ron had never experienced before. Eventually he asked, "H-Hey Iris...why are you wearing that mask?"

She tilted her head. "You'll find out. It's nice to have a real conversation with someone other than Hermione and Tracey."

Ron wondered what she meant by that...he had a feeling there was someone else named Iris that should be in his year (hadn't his older brothers been talking about this?) but it was getting away from him. This girl was creepy, and her friends were strangely quiet...but there was an energy crackling around her, that was drawing him towards it like a moth to a bug lamp.

Iris turned her head towards the door, and then waved a hand to close it just as Ron turned his head to ask Tracey a question. It slammed shut just as Draco Malfoy and two of his cronies were walking by.

 _ ****~Much Later~****_

Iris was amused by the stares she was getting. She was still wearing her mask and her muggle clothes and everyone in her year was staring at her. Make everyone uncomfortable just by showing up? Check. She suggested that Ron, Hermione and Tracey hang back a bit, just for the sorting – Ron looked confused but nodded in assent; meanwhile Hermione and Tracey just smiled. They had wanted to support her openly, but Iris had declined saying it was too obvious.

"Welcome to Hogwarts..." Professor Minerva McGonagall did a visible double take when her eyes fell on Iris in the crowd. "...school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm Professor McGonagall, deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration teacher. When you walk through these doors..."

Iris tuned out the rest of the speech – mama had told her what to expect – and looked around the hall. Seeing the ghosts for the first time was a treat; Hermione jumped when the Fat Friar and his companion passed through her on their way to the feast. Tracey was grinning in the candlelight, trying to take all the details of this old school in.

Once done with the speech, McGonagall lead the curious first years into the hallway, where all the older students were waiting. Iris heard a rumble of conversation as she walked in; friends chatting with each other, the soft drum of magic under her feet...nothing had changed in this building for hundreds of years. Nothing.

Not until today.

"Abbot, Hannah."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"I'll kill Fred," Ron muttered somewhere behind her. "He was going on about wrestling a troll." Iris snickered and looked around the room until she caught sight of Ron's older twin brothers at the Gryffindor table. Where did she want to be sorted?

"Davis, Tracey."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Iris smiled a bit under her mask as Tracey's slack jawed surprise at the hat's pronouncement. _You saved Hermione from a lifetime of subjugation, defying your evil father to do so, and you don't consider yourself brave? Oh Trace._ The redhead slowly got up and trotted in the direction of the table; Lavander Brown immediately scooted over to provide room for her. Ron looked surprised too; Hermione's eyes sparked as she watched.

"Granger, Hermione."

She walked up to the hat with little concern, though at a slower pace than she might have if this had been her first proper introduction to the wizard world.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Iris nodded at Hermione as she trotted towards her new house. She was aware that more and more people were looking at her as the other students were squared away; her lip twitched in amusement and put a companionable hand on Ron's shoulder just before her name was read.

"Potter, Iris!"

A huge wave of muttering came up as she walked towards the seat; Iris felt every eye in the great hall on her and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _Sheep_.

"Do you not have your robes, Miss Potter?" McGonagall asked as she sat down on the chair.

Iris shrugged slightly. "I do. They're really uncomfortable and I can't stop tripping on them."

"Please, at least loose the mask."

Iris pouted for a moment before taking the ornate mask off. Another round of muttering, people leaning forward so they could see her scar. _Cretins_. They didn't know where it came from and certainly didn't understand what it signified. Not really.

The hat sat on her head for the longest time. Three times it opened its mouth, then said nothing. This went on for over five minutes, all while Iris tapped out the beat of an Elvis song against the floor. Eventually it called out -

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Iris smirked as the house of red and gold cheered, unaware of her long conversation with the hat, while Fred and George shouted "We've Got Potter!" They might not have been so enthusiastic if they had known. Now it was just a matter of waiting for Ron, and figuring out where she should start.

There were so many things to break here...

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Deciding which house to put Iris in was hard; I didn't want to put her in Slytherin because that seemed to be the easy answer in all 'darker' stories, Ravenclaw didn't really suit an anarchist, and I'm planning to use Hufflepuff for another fem!Harry WIP in the future. (I refer you to my penname) so I went with Gryffindor. Sorry if you were hoping for one of the others. Don't worry; she'll hardly be a typical one. If anything, certain people will be cursing Gryffindor 'boldness' soon enough.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


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